Hunger Moon: Chapter Seven

[amberfocus]

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The Replacement

 

“Who is the Doctor?” Pete Tyler looked up into the face of the man who had walked into the room and asked him this question. He couldn’t help the flash of hope that washed over him, even though he knew it was impossible the Doctor was here and the man before him would be able to read the changes in him as it did so. Although man was a term he associated quite loosely with the thing standing in front of him.

 

Why was he asking about the Doctor? Pete wondered. The Doctor was long gone from their lives and yet…had he somehow made it back to Rose? “The Doctor?” he repeated dumbly stalling for time.

 

“Do not play the idiot with me,” the man said. “Now who is he?” Pete remained silent. “Come now, we can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way. And I can guarantee you won’t like the hard way. I’m not sure how much longer the block in little Sarah’s mind will hold. She’s strong, but…” The creature shrugged. “I’m stronger.”

 

“You leave my daughter alone!”

 

“Then tell me who the Doctor is.”

 

A stabbing pain shot through Pete’s head as the man focused his eyes on Pete’s temple. It felt like his brain was being boiled alive. “He was my eldest daughter’s boyfriend! But he’s gone. She lost him ten years ago. There was no way back for him.” He was gasping as the excruciating pain in his head subsided.

 

“Well, she’s found him again,” the creature said.

 

“Has she now?” He couldn’t stop the slow spread of the smile across his face.

 

“Yes. And he is a man who looks nothing like his photograph. How is this possible? Who is he?” the thing demanded.

 

“He’s the man who’s going to put a stop to you. He’ll see right through you and he will destroy you,” Pete said.

 

“And how’s he going to do that? Not even your own wife has been able to see through me,” he said. “Why would she when I can look like this?” The man’s face rippled and suddenly the features confronting him were his own. “I'm running out of excuses to put her off, you know.  She is beautiful, your wife. So…soft in all the right places.  Perhaps I should make her happy and give in to her advances?”

 

Despite being tied to the chair Pete lurched towards the apparent duplicate of himself. “I’ll kill you!” he snarled. “You touch my Jacks and I’ll kill you!”

 

The creature returned to his normal appearance. “I look forward to watching you try. You have sought to destroy us. You are allied against us. This cannot be allowed to stand. We survive and we thrive. As it has always been, so will it ever be. You will not be allowed to destroy us. Do you really think we’ll let it happen?” 

 

“The Teroc’manu are a sentient species,” spat out Pete. “You were their oppressors. They sought asylum with us!”

 

The monster laughed. “They are food, and so will your people be when the remaining spheres are loosened.”

 

“We are not a psychic planet!” protested Pete. “You cannot feed on our energies.”

 

“Oh, but the latent ability is there in one out of twenty. As it is in your children. And that ability can be pushed into being. It is being pushed into being in your little Sarah. Her little shield will not hold out much longer.  And when if fails, oh, what a delicious mind will be left for me to consume!” His laughter grated through the basement room once more. “Now tell me about this Doctor.”

 

Pete closed his eyes and set his mind against the alien before him. He would say no more than he had said already. “No,” he said. The pain washed over him in waves.

 

 

 

“What do you mean more?” the Doctor demanded of Suzie Symmonds-Smith. The woman made her way into the room and sat down on the sofa.

 

“I mean, Rose is an adult, recently come into telepathic powers, and I presume completely unshielded. Her abilities will shine like a torch in the dark. And they will see her.”

 

“Who will see her?” the Doctor asked quietly, dropping into the chair across from the woman.

 

“The Monoc’teru,” she said. “They feed on psychic energies and they are here on Earth, preparing to convert humanity into a feeding ground.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because we are allies with their ancestral food supply, a race called the Teroc’manu,” she explained. The Doctor tensed as he recognized the race that had gutted Rose’s mind in their attempt to communicate with humanity. They had fixed her as best they could, yes, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear their name spoken and know what devastation they had wreaked upon his beloved wife.

 

“You have heard of them?” Suzie asked noting his reaction.

 

“Only in passing. Rose mentioned them,” he said.

 

“They are a gentle species, harmless really,” Mickey said. “Despite what happened to Rose.” His eyes met the Doctor’s. “I was there. There was no intent to harm her.”

 

“But harm was done,” the Doctor said.

 

“I know.” Mickey’s eyes dropped. “But they are a good species, Doctor. They worked hard to repair that damage and they have been nothing but helpful and cooperative allies with humanity. You don’t know how badly they were oppressed.”

 

“I do,” he contradicted. “I saw it in Rose’s mind. I repaired the last of the organic damage they caused, and tried to soothe the last of the damage to her psyche. I saw it all.”

 

“Then you know they need to be protected,” said Jake. “They were fed on for millennia by the dominant species on their planet. When they finally fought their war and achieved their freedom at the price of leaving their planet behind forever, they thought they’d be safe. But a few decades later they were pursued and now the Monoc’teru have caught up with them and seek to enslave them, bring them back to Noc’u and reintroduce the breeding camps so they can feed at their leisure.”

 

The Doctor looked disgusted and Suzie took up the narrative again. “It doesn’t kill them, you know. The feeding. It doesn’t. Not at first. A victim can survive for several years. Ten, fifteen. A child like Sarah? She could survive to around age 25 or so if they began the feeding process now. They could feed on her until she was old enough to be bred and then imprison her in a camp, force her to bear children one after another and tear them from her arms; use their spheres to induce psychic abilities in her offspring until she was used up both mentally and physically and begin the process again when those children reached nine or ten.” The Doctor’s hands clenched into fists.

 

“That’s what they did to the Teroc’manu,” Mickey said. “That’s what they want to do to us because we’re allies. Somehow or other they’ve infiltrated Torchwood. Somehow or other they’ve gotten to Pete Tyler. He set this in motion before the study with the spheres began, before we opened one and knew what was behind it; that if he was turned or altered somehow, we were to get the twins out and protect them at any cost. He has been and that was what tonight was all about.”

 

“You said Rose would be in more danger than the twins? Why?”

 

“An adult with telepathic powers?” asked Suzie. “The feeding and breeding could begin immediately.”

 

“The feeding, maybe,” said the Doctor. “But they wouldn’t be able to breed her with anyone else. She’s no longer compatible with humans, not to mention the side effects if they tried to force a mating on her with someone who isn’t me.”

 

“I’m not even sure I want to know what that comment is all about,” muttered Mickey.

 

The Doctor blinked, held back a grin, and explained anyway. “Rose is my wife. With my people, once you’ve bonded and mated, it’s for life. If she were to try to mate with another man it would make her very sick. Same with me and any other woman. Anything much more than a kiss would cause side effects in the non-bonded person as well. At least, it would with a human or a Gallifreyan. Ensures fidelity. Not that we’d need it. Neither one of us would ever be satisfied with anyone else in bed after being together. Makes anyone who came before seem like a cheap imitation of the real thing.” He smirked at the uncomfortable look on Mickey’s face.  What was it about the man that he enjoyed baiting him so much? Really, it was quite unreasonable of him to try to discomfit a perfect stranger like this.

 

“So in giving her this telepathic ability did you teach her how to shield her mind from outside influences?” Suzie asked him point blank, putting a stop to his baiting.

 

“Ah…no,” the Doctor admitted. “But no one knows about it outside of this room.”

 

“Not very smart, Doctor,” said Suzie turning to Mickey. “I thought he was supposed to be brilliant.”

 

“Oi!” complained the Doctor.

 

“They can sense the abilities, Doctor. They could send a sphere after her if they do,” said Suzie.

 

“It’s been happening all over London. People seeing these spheres coming after them and then they change, their abilities are fired into life if they were latent, and if they were present, they expand exponentially. Soon after, many of them disappear,” said Jake.

 

“It’s not good. It started with the fringe elements, the tarot card readers, the palmists, the mediums, and moved on to the religions that practice psychic energies. Not all of them had access to such gifts, many are false, but amongst the false ones, people with true abilities have always hidden. The spheres can find them. Somehow they always find them,” Mickey said.  "And it's expanding into the general population now."

 

“Sarah said she and Kyle were exposed to the spheres,” the Doctor said.

 

“Yes, they were two of the first. It’s why Pete chose to study them so closely, why he put protocols in place in case he was affected,” said Mickey. “And he has been badly affected. He’s not the same man he was. He remembers nothing of the protocols at all.”

 

“Neither twin thinks the man is their father. They both say his mind is wrong,” the Doctor said.

 

“Pete’s never tested high for latent abilities,” said Suzie. “As chief archivist I’ve full access to such things. He’s a complete dead head. No lights at all in that part of his brain scan.”

 

“It must come through Jackie’s line, then. Has Jackie ever been tested?”

 

Mickey nodded. “Yes, but she’s got none of it. Jackie’s grandmother though, Rose always said she had the gift. It likely skipped a couple of generations.”

 

“Look, all of this information sharing is well and good, but shouldn’t someone get back to Rose and bring her here?” asked Jake bringing them back on focus.

 

“She’s asleep in the TARDIS,” said the Doctor. “There’s no place safer for her than that.”

 

“Well, I think it would be good for the twins to have her here when they wake up,” said Mickey. “I’ll go and get her.”

 

“No need,” said the Doctor. “I can summon the ship here.”

 

“Then do it,” said Mickey. The Doctor sent out a silent request for his ship’s presence.

 

 

 

Rose woke with a sudden presentiment of danger. “Doctor?” she asked into the darkness, her hand feeling the bed beside her. It was cold and empty.

 

“Where is he?” she asked the TARDIS.

 

“He went outside,” said the TARDIS.

 

“Thanks,” said Rose rising from the bed and pulling on some clothes. She’d mostly abandoned the idea of sleeping in pajamas or nightgowns unless she was particularly cold once she and the Doctor started making love. They never stayed on for long, often got torn or even shredded in the taking off process, and just impeded the Doctor’s access to her body.

 

She smiled at the memory of his impatience with her garments the last time she’d had a gown on, then shook her head. Presentiment of danger. It was no time to be going off on flights of fancy about how he’d ripped the flimsy piece of silk right off her body and proceeded to lick and suck his way-- “Stop it!” she told herself. Just thinking of it was distracting to her.

 

“Focus, Rose,” she said and marched herself out of the ship. The breathtaking beauty of the full moon stopped her in her tracks. The first full moon of February was the Hunger Moon if she remembered right. Starving people who had not prepared properly for the length of a particularly bad winter or for the winter at all had named it thus. So many deaths as they’d looked upon that moon.

 

She was grateful she’d never had to deal with that kind of hunger, not even on one of her worst field assignments when they’d run out of food and she’d not eaten anything for three days had it been anything like the starvation those early people must have felt. The only kind of hunger that had ever overwhelmed her was her hunger for the Doctor, her need to touch him, be touched by him, writhe under his hands, his body above her, his length sheathed within her… “Enough!” she muttered sternly.

 

“Doctor?” she called out into the darkness. “Doctor?” When there was no answer she lightly tested the link between them. She felt his presence as a faint beacon in the back of her mind, the little light that told her he was alive and well, but there was no telepathic response. He couldn’t be nearby or he would have answered her. She frowned. “Doctor,” she called loudly into the night. She hadn’t expected an answer but was still disappointed that there wasn’t one.

 

When a light came on in the house she glanced up at her mother’s bedroom window. She watched as light after light came on and she began moving towards the house in concern. When she heard Jackie scream she broke into a run.

Ch. 8:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/38444.html

Comments

[fishface44.livejournal.com]

Oh No!!!!!! Go back into the TARDIS Rose!!!!

Yes, once again you have me talking to the characters in your stories. I blame you completely for making the story so compelling! Big sigh of relief though, that the real Alt!Pete is not evil. The Doctor is being a bit evil, I think, winding up Mickey like that!

And thank you for another excellent chapter!

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Well, I talk to them, too, so I guess you're in good company. And nope, she isn't going back. She has to go see what her mum is screaming about.

As for Pete, I had a hard enough time making Mickey evil once, I don't think I could do it to Rose's (almost) dad.

The Doctor really can't help himself, and he doesn't even know why!

[yenly-gozal.livejournal.com]

Gosh! Go back to the TARDIS, Rose! Oh, please don't let anything happen to Rose. She had had enough problem with telepathic. Anyway, thanks for another brilliant chapter. This really got me. You really know how to cut the chapter to make your reader squirming with curiosity, or at least that's what happened to me.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about Rose just yet. She can mostly take care of herself. Her storyline for the next chapter (or maybe two) will be dealing with Jackie's freakout over the disappearance of the twins and the not!Pete coming home to find the kids gone. It'll be an emotional storyline as opposed to dangerous, at least for a while.

[ageless-aislynn.livejournal.com]

Oh noes, Rose! Eeeeeeeeeek! O_O

And I knew that evil!Pete just couldn't be real!(alt)Pete. :D I loved how you worked in the info about the Hunger Moon! ;) And loved the bits about her not bothering with nightgowns and such! Methinks that Rose is pretty much ready for the Official Story-Appropriate Smut!Time now as well... ;) (So official now, that it has to be capitalized. *nods* ;) )

Can't wait for the next chapter! ♥♥♥!!!

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Put the parts about the nightgown and the distracted Rose's lusty Doctor thoughts in just for you, since I know how much you're looking forward to Official Story-Appropriate Smut!Time. I like that. It's a very good title. *giggles*

I was afraid the Hunger Moon paragraph was a little obvious. Not so, then? It's hard to be subtle with stuff like that. And no, the real Pete isn't evil. But not!Pete will more than make up for that.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Uh-oh. I'm not so worried about Rose--the TARDIS will protect her if at all possible, and I wouldn't want to be the person or thing that stands in her way--but poor Jackie! And poor Pete, good man. Sounds like the Tyler family is in for a rough time.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yes, a bit of a rough patch, but...I'm all about happy endings. I might break them, but I always fix them in the end. Unlike RTD.

'Jeopardy Friendly' indeed...

[sisterofkarn.livejournal.com]

There she goes, wandering off again! *hee hee*
But then she wouldn't be our Rose otherwise.

I have to say again how well you capture the characters and their motivations. It's not easy to write a companion consistently putting themselves in harms way, often knowingly, and still make it smart, interesting and logical - making it flow well with a strong, clever female character.
It's too easy to end up with a John Peel-esque silly girl twisting her ankle every other scene.
So far you write for every character so well, but particularly Rose and Alt!Doctor. And I love the twins!

I also loved the Wolf Moon sequence here and how it ties in with the plot and title... Very nicely done.

It's so cool to be able to comment here now. :D
I hope you're feeling better from your cold!

Re: 'Jeopardy Friendly' indeed...

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Hi, welcome here, happy you found your way over from Teaspoon. *grins* I try to make Rose stay strong, though I do admit I always have this overwhelming urge to make her faint like the heroine in a romance novel. Way too often. *laughs* I resist as much as I can, though. Thank you. And I'm glad you like the twins. A few entries back, well I'm not really sure how far now, but back a ways there is a non-story journal entry with photos of the twins if you want to see what they look like.

And yes, I'm about 90 percent over the flu, the tiredness and a bit of a headache is all that lingers now.

Re: 'Jeopardy Friendly' indeed...

[sisterofkarn.livejournal.com]

Huh, can't seem to find it, but I'll keep looking later. Must put up my first posts. ;)

I had that flu back in Feb. Really nasty - I haven't been that sick in a long time, and I had viral meningitis last year.
This flu kicked it's a** sideways. It's still giving me some trouble.
Keep getting plenty of rest!

Re: 'Jeopardy Friendly' indeed...

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Here's the link to it.

http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/29220.html

[sunnytyler001.livejournal.com]

Rose, don't wander off...
Lol, god, poor Mickey. The Doctor loves to annoy him, doesn't he?

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Is it wandering off if she has a destination in mind? The Doctor can't seem to help himself when it comes to Mickey.

[nattieb.livejournal.com]

I know you already mentioned who gets to Rose first but I am screaming at her to get back to the Tardis and take Jackie with her. And screaming at the Doctor to stop being cheeky with Mickey and get his wife there.

*hugs real Pete* Poor guy, at least he has a little hope now.

And if you haven't already guessed I love this story!!!

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Well, but she can't do that because it would mess up the plot. *smiles* Nine is a little too self-assured, but to be fair he has no idea Rose would leave the TARDIS in the middle of the night, when she usually sleeps like a log. Glad you love it. That's always great to hear.

[summerxmist.livejournal.com]

NOOO!
Rose can NOT just wander out! nono!
Poor Pete! I hope he manages to get out somehow!

Hehe, loved how Rose's mind wandered into sexytiem!thoughts ;]
More soon i hope ==

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, she can. And Rose's mind will definitely wander there frequently, poor girl.

[angelfireeast.livejournal.com]

Yet another amazing update!!! More Doctor bugging Mickey for a unknown reason:p Good background on the aliens and bad guys, I didn't think we'd be seeing or hearing about those aliens who hurt Rose again. Is the TARDIS going to leave without Rose in it? oh I can't wait for more:D

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Nine just feels this need to rile up Mickey. As for the Teroc'manu, when I realized where the storyline was going, that it would be telepathically based, it just seemed natural to pull them back into the narrative. I'm not telling about the TARDIS. I'll try to have the next chapter up sometime late tonight.

Rose...

[angelbev21.livejournal.com]

running off, just as the Doctor calls the ship to him! Noooo. That's jeopardy-friendly, alright and all she was doing was just minding her own lusty-thought business, but then, (sounding like John Belushi) Noooooo. She had to run off at her mother's scream, as if she can do anything. Can she? We'll definintely see, but of course, I can't wait. Poor Pete, though, I do feel for him, but he ain't Rose and the Doctor. I'm soooo baaaad! LOL!

Re: Rose...

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yes. Of course, yes. Well, Jackie's not in any danger at the moment. She's just discovered that the twins are missing.

Re: Rose...

[angelbev21.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad! I'd be upset too if my kids ended up disappearing from their beds......

Re: Rose...

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too, definite screaming would be involved.

[amyo67.livejournal.com]

What a good chapter. I was so thrilled to get home and see this posted. I love the way the Doctor just can't seem to keep himself from trying to rile Mickey. Oh, no. and Jackie was actually liking this Doctor. If she is going to blame the twins going missing on him, are they going to work that out faily quickly? I hope so.
Thanks so much. Keep up the good work. I can't wait to see what happens next.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yep, he has a need to rile Mickey and he doesn't know where it even comes from. Well, Jackie will find the error of her ways within a few chapters, I can't have mother and daughter angry with each other too long, though hurt feelings will remain on Rose's side for a few things Jackie will say. I will try to finish chapter 8 tomorrow. It's been fighting with me.

[kk-animation.livejournal.com]

Pure Evil! I hope you update soon, I'm literally sitting on the edge of my seat after reading the last two chapters.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

My computer ate chapter 8, but I am working on it again, my beta at least had half of it.